Love's Labors Lost (Ch.2)
by Ring-chan

Southern Cambodia
The tumbling waters of the river gushed along and splashed at the banks.
Peace... serenity... no indication at all of the battle fought just the night before not but a mile or so from that very spot. In fact the only sign of man at all was the solitary warrior who had sat himself off the bank of the river.
Deep in thought and submerged in a stasis state of meditation, the lone warrior regulated his breathing to aid his body in regaining balance. He sacrificed a lot of energy and a lot of chi in the last battle, which offset him not only physically but also spiritually.
It was worth it though, all worth it, for he was successful and his duty fulfilled.
It was over... all over... More than 3 month's worth of tracking, training, preparations, both physical, spiritual, and mental, and it all came down to one battle that ended in no more than 20 minutes.
Ryu opened his eyes and blinked a few times to readjust to the congenial veil of brightness that the sun chose to bestow upon the earth that particular morning.
His master's death has been avenged as he had promised.
He got up and walked to the edge of the river, gazing out into the shimmering water surface. He remembered an old proverb Master always recited for him.
"The river is like a warrior's path. For like the constantly moving waters of the current, once you begin, you cannot stop. You must remain true to the warrior's duties from beginning to end like every drop of water that follows the river from its origin to its end at the sea."
"And I have completed my duty, sensei. I have gained justice from defeating the Demon." Ryu gave one final bow of respect as he faced the river.
But then he frowned.
Yes, Akuma was dead but did he technically defeat him?
Ryu recalled how he came to amidst the fiery horror in forest clearing. The fire was closing in around him and fast.
Akuma... where was Akuma?
Then Ryu saw the Demon's still unconscious body on the ground not too far away, flames already inching their way onto his black, and apparently flamable, gi. After a quick assessment of the situation, Ryu made his decision. There was no time to personally kill Akuma. Ryu crashed through the flames that encompassed him, flames lapping at his heels and fire clawing at his white gi as he fled to safety.
When he was a safe distance away, he looked back at the dwindling fire with absolute conviction that Akuma was dead.
Yes, it was over.
So he should feel at peace right? What was this empty feeling inside of him? What was he missing now?
Ryu slowly moved to the edge of the river and looked into the mirror-like surface of the water. He saw his reflection.... but no... the image in the water was changing shape, reforming... the face staring back at him was not his any longer.
His heart jumped to his throat as he recognized the demure, yet entrancing smile and the pair of dark, dazzling eyes that gazed back at him.
Now he knew exactly what he was missing... what he had been so foolish to release...
The name floated to his lips, "Chun Li... I'm coming back to you, my love."
~~~~~~

A few days later, Hong Kong
Chun Li fumbled with the briefcase in her right hand and tried to balance the stack of Interpole paperwork she clutched in her left arm. Stepping off the elevator and the floor of her apartment she wondered for a moment how she was going to get the door open.
Finally approaching the door of her apartment, she noted with surprise that Jeff was waiting for her.
"Hey, gorgeous," he gave her his usual debonair smile. "Let me help you with that stack of folders."
"Oh... thanks," Chun Li shifted the stack of paperwork from her arms and handed it over to his awaiting arms. "Have you been waiting here long, Jeff?"
"About half an hour or so."
"Oh, my goodness," Chun Li reached into her pocket and quickly fished out her keys. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize we had a date tonight so I put in some overtime at the work..."
"Oh, no Chunny honey. You didn't forget anything. I just wanted to see you." Jeff leaned over and gave her a tender kiss on her lips as a greeting. "I missed you and was hoping if you weren't too busy we could have dinner tonight."
Chun Li blushed. "Oh..." She paused. "Well, sure I guess I don't have much to do tonight." Quickly finding the key to her door, Chun Li opened the door. "Why don't you come in and have a seat first? I'll be with you in sec."
They entered the apartment where Chun Li set her briefcase down in the living room. "You can just set the papers on the coffee table, Jeff."
Out of habit, Chun Li kicked her street shoes off and slipped her feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers before going to check her answering machine. Seeing that there were no new messages, she headed for her bedroom but she stopped midway.
"Oh shoot... Jeff, I forgot to check my mail today, do you think you can go downstairs and get it for me? I'll get changed while you're doing that and we can leave for dinner sooner."
"Sure, baby." He caught the little copper key that Chun Li had tossed his way.
"Thanks Jeff," Chun Li called before closing the door behind her to the bedroom.
Now she had to find something to wear... nothing too fancy... a bit casual... and something that would complement the black sports jacket Jeff was wearing...
A quick assessment of the contents of her closet and she settled her decision on a white silk top and a short black skirt. Then she hastily grabbed a pair of delicate gold earring and put them on while she headed out to the living room. Apparently Jeff had returned just a short while ago and was settling onto the couch once more.
"Did I have anything?" Chun Li asked as she finished fastening the second earring into place.
"Well, you have some junk mail... Something from the electricity company... A letter from the United Bank to Mrs. Yin..." He paused for a moment and looked up with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "You won't happen to have a husband you want to tell me about would you?"
Chun Li chuckled but rolled her eyes, "Jeff, that's just a wrong delivery, Mrs. Yin lives next door. Is there anything else?"
"Yes, actually. A letter from Cambodia it seems."
"Huh? I don't know anyone in Cambodia..." Chun Li took the letter and examined the envelope. There was no return address, but the cancellation stamp made it clear just where the origin of the letter was.
Who can this be?
Suddenly, Chun Li's heart skipped a beat when she recognized the handwriting on the envelope.
Ryu? Ryu Hoshi?
No words could possibly describe the pure joy she felt as she held the letter in her hands for a moment. But then... her happiness vanished... and was replaced by anger...
Just why should she be so glad to hear from Ryu? The man who had so thoughtless crushed her heart after 2 months of pure bliss together? Didn't he know that he meant everything to her? How could he have just suddenly... out of the blue... without a warning... declared the end of their relationship and left her in a crumpled heap of forlorn emotions?
He was inconsiderate, heartless and didn't even give a second thought to her own affections for him.
Chun Li took a deep breath...
No, this was a mistake.
In 2 swift movements of her hand, she tore the envelope, letter and all, in to three sections and dropped the pieces into her recycling basket.
"Chun Li? Hon, are you alright?"
"Yeah... yeah. Let's just go."
Jeff gazed at her with concern. He hated it when she does this. She's always trying to hide what's bothering her, when he just wants to know what's wrong. It just kills him to see her upset like this.
"Chun Li, whose letter was that? If you need to talk about it..."
"Well, I don't need to or want to. Jeff please, can we just drop this and go to dinner?"
"Alright, alright..." Jeff gently kissed on the forehead, hoping to convey some amount of comfort to whatever was bothering Chun Li. "Alright honey."